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Vekoma
Vekoma is a roller coaster designer and manufacturer based in the Netherlands. Its name is an abbreviation for "'Ve'ld 'Ko'ning 'Ma'chinefabriek". Vekoma specializes in making and selling many compact coaster models. Types of coasters made by Vekoma *Big Air - Also known as the Hammerhead Stall, this shuttle type ride is designed to replicate the feeling of flying in a plane. This ride has been installed in EDA park in Taiwan. *Boomerang - A three inversion Shuttle Roller Coaster. Designed over 20 years ago, it continues to be a successful product. In 1996, Vekoma introduced an inverted upgrade to this ride called an Invertigo. Five years later, in 2001, Vekoma introduced the Giant Inverted Boomerang, which has completely vertical spikes and provides a taller and faster ride. There are 45 operating Boomerangs around the world, including Sea Serpent at Morey's Piers in Wildwood New Jersey, this is also the first boomerang coaster in the United States. In 2011 Vekoma is debuting a non-inverting Junior Boomerang prototype at Drayton Manor in the United Kingdom. **Junior Boomerang is a junior family version of the Boomerang roller coaster which does not contain any inversions. The Junior Boomerang features trains similar to the Vekoma Junior Coaster which are first taken backwards up a tire-driven lift hill. The train is then released through a series of hills, dips and turns before rolling back to the station in reverse. *Family Custom Coaster - A classical roller coaster, designed to families with 6 year-old children and custom to a park's layout and needs. The Vapor Trail at Sesame Place and Muntanya Russa,at Tibidabo, Barcelona are examples of these coasters. *Flying Dutchman - A flying roller coaster. Riders are reclined back into a lay-down position and turn around on the first drop of the ride into a prone 'flying' position. There are two models of the Flying Dutchman, the 843m Prototype, and the 1018m. There are three operating Flying Dutchmans around the world, including Nighthawk at Carowinds, Firehawk at Kings Island, and Batwing at Six Flags America. *Roller Skater - A small family sized roller coaster. Most installations are clones with several turns and helixes. *Looping coaster - Vekoma is providing several models of a looping coaster along with custom layouts. *Mine Train - A mine train roller coaster. Four Mine Trains exist around the world, including Flight of the Phoenix at Happy Valley. *Motorbike Coaster - A coaster that uses motorbike trains. There are two models of Motorbike Coasters, the 600m and the Custom. three Motorbike Coasters operate around the world, including the Motorbike Coaster at Chimelong Paradise. *Suspended Family Coaster There are nine Suspended Family Coasters operating in the world. Cedar Fair owns several models of the same layout themed to Snoopy the Red Baron pilot. Frontier City in Oklahoma has a smaller model named Steel Lasso. *Suspended Looping Coaster (SLC) - An inverted roller coaster. The standard model has a roll over immediately after the initial drop, followed by a sidewinder, and finally a double inline twist before returning to its station. There are a few variations, including a longer model with an extra helix at the end of the ride. Vekoma also offers custom SLC models. There are five models of SLCs, the 662m Prototype, the 689m Standard, the 787m Extended, the 765m Extended w/ Helix, and the Custom. There are 37 operating SLCs around the world. The SLC coaster model has earned a reputation among critics for being uncomfortable while most recent installations have begun to address the issue with updated wheel assemblies and train designs. *Swinging Turns - roller coaster with vehicles below the track and allowed to swing freely. Vekoma also provided replacement trains for the Arrow Dynamics designed Vampire at Chessington World of Adventures. There are three operating Swinging Turns around the world, including the Hanging Coaster at Dream World. *Tilt Coaster - A standard coaster with a vertical drop at the start. Trains enter the vertical drop via an unusual tilt section. After leaving the chain lift, instead of going down a first drop, the rider is held on a horizontal section of track, which then tilts forwards, to become a vertical section. This leads into the drop, then into the rest of the coaster layout. There is one operating Tilt Coaster in the world, the Gravity Max at Discovery World in Taiwan. *Wooden Coaster - A coaster that is made of wood. There are three operating Vekoma wooden coasters around the world, including the Thundercoaster at TusenFryd and Robin Hood. *Stingray - A compact flying coaster model designed within a tight support system. The first model debuted at a park in China. Some other coaster models by Vekoma include Custom coasters from MK-700, MK-900 & MK-1200 along with Enigma, Hurricane, Illusion, LSM Coaster , and a powered coaster. Category:Manufacturers